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Cattle deaths at Chandigarh shed: FIR lodged against management
The case was registered at the Mauli Jagran police station on Friday under Section 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 11 (treating animals cruelly) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act
The Chandigarh Police have registered an FIR against the management committee of the cowshed at Makhan Majra, Raipur Kalan, after allegations of gross negligence and cruelty surfaced in connection with the death of over 60 cows and calves at the municipal corporation-run facility on Thursday.
The case was registered at the Mauli Jagran police station on Friday under Section 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 11 (treating animals cruelly) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, following a complaint by advocate Garvesh Rana, a resident of Sector 32-A.
In his complaint, Rana alleged continued mismanagement at the cowshed, and claimed that repeated complaints by residents and social organisations had gone unaddressed by the UT administration.
He stated that on the night of January 13, locals informed him about multiple cattle deaths, following which members of his cow care team visited the facility, and documented the conditions through photographs and videos.
The complainant alleged that during inspection, the team found no proper arrangement for fodder or drinking water or veterinary care for sick animals.
He alleged that several cows were found suffering due to cold and hunger, and around 50 to 60 cows were already dead. He attributed the deaths to negligence by the cowshed management committee.
Police officials said the complaint disclosed a cognisable offence, leading to an FIR. They added that further investigation was underway to fix responsibility and verify the allegations through evidence, including visual material submitted with the complaint.
The UT administration has already marked a magisterial inquiry by additional district magistrate Amandeep Singh Bhatti, to be completed within a week after examining the immediate and underlying causes of the deaths, scrutinising post-mortem reports and viscera sample results, and identifying acts of commission or omission by cowshed management and public servants responsible for oversight.
Following the incident, the municipal corporation also suspended medical officer health (MOH) Dr Inderdeep Kaur and Praveen Kumar, inspector at the cowshed. Services of contractual staff, including veterinary doctor Dr Ravinder Singh Dhaliwal, sanitary inspector Ramlal Singh, supervisor Lovely and other multi-tasking staff, were also discontinued.
Dead cows buried, samples collected
Following widespread citizen outrage and political furore over the cattle deaths on Wednesday, all carcasses were buried in a night-long operation.
Veterinary teams also collected scientific samples from the site and post-mortems were conducted to ascertain the exact cause of death.
Officials said the Makhan Majra cowshed houses over 1,000 stray cattle, with deaths typically rising during winter.
However, MC’s lone animal incinerator in the city, used for cremating small and large animals, has reportedly been out of order since January 11, leading to the pile-up of cattle carcasses discovered on Wednesday.
UT orders strict monitoring, accountability
A day after the incident, the UT administration ordered strict monitoring and accountability across all cowsheds in the city.
UT chief secretary Rajesh Prasad conducted inspections of cowsheds at Raipur Kalan and Industrial Area, the incinerator site, and the Animal Birth Control Centre in Raipur Kalan.
The chief secretary carried out a comprehensive assessment of shelter conditions, cleanliness, availability of fodder and drinking water, veterinary care, waste management and overall maintenance.
He also interacted with officers and staff posted at the cowsheds, and directed that details of deployed manpower, including veterinarians and support staff, along with daily duty rosters, be prominently displayed.
Separate boards indicating daily availability and consumption of green and dry fodder were also ordered to ensure transparency.
The chief secretary further instructed officials to ensure round-the-clock CCTV surveillance, hygiene, effective drainage by levelling uneven surfaces, and regular inspections to ensure the humane functioning of cowsheds.
He said the animal incinerator had remained non-functional due to a technical fault and would be made operational at the earliest.
Senior officials accompanying the chief secretary included UT home secretary Mandip Singh Brar, MC commissioner Amit Kumar, animal husbandry secretary-cum-special MC commissioner Pardeep Kumar, and other UT and MC officers.
